Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female was 8.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Sri Lanka, 2001–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Sri Lanka is 8.6%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 25.8% on the previous year and up 21.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Sri Lanka peaked at 9.0% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 2001.
That places Sri Lanka 66th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 3.0% | — |
| 2002 | 4.2% | +41.5% |
| 2003 | 5.8% | +37.7% |
| 2004 | 4.9% | -15.1% |
| 2005 | 8.1% | +64.0% |
| 2006 | 8.1% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 7.7% | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 7.6% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 9.0% | +18.1% |
| 2010 | 7.1% | -20.9% |
| 2011 | 7.4% | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 7.7% | +4.3% |
| 2013 | 7.1% | -8.1% |
| 2014 | 6.6% | -5.9% |
| 2015 | 4.3% | -34.6% |
| 2016 | 4.2% | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 4.4% | +4.2% |
| 2018 | 4.8% | +7.9% |
| 2022 | 6.8% | +43.0% |
| 2023 | 8.6% | +25.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 8.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.9%, 1.5× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 8.6% is above the median for South Asia, which is 2.1%, 4.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.5% | 3.0% | 9.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 6.0% | 4.2% | 7.7% | 9 |
| 2020s | 7.7% | 6.8% | 8.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 155,543 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 224,799 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Sri Lanka?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Sri Lanka was 8.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 9.0% in 2009.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2001.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female?
- Sri Lanka ranks 66th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release